thinking about doing lyell peak / lyell canyon -
i need a permit correct? can i do this over the phone? not sure if i'll be there during business hours.
also i hear this trail can be crowded? does that mean yosemite valley crowded? boy scout troop crowded? or just 'you'll see 20 people' crowded?
if it is indeed crowded are there other trails similar that you'd recommend? don't need to be the tallest/biggest/furthest just need solitude and beauty.

thanks for any input, this will be my first multi-day hike in the sierra since i moved to sf from utah, looking forward to it!

You can get permits by phone, but I bet the reservable quota is full, even weekdays. True a ranger will check for a permit, and this is one of the 5-8 most popular trailheads, but I've yet to see one there.

Last time I went I couldn't get a permit, our packs were too big to pass as daypacks, so I got one for a nearby trailhead and exiting Lyell Canyon, so I was at least covered on the way out.

Hoffman has expansive views. Sometimes crowds on top, though. There'll be no one on Tuolumne Peak, most likely.

@1000peaks thanks for the info - looks like tuolumne peak and hoffman, as well as dana and lewis can all be done easily in a day - where would be a good base camp to set up to do these?
I know it's in/near yosemite and this is a holiday weekend; are there good primitive/dispersed camp spots on the tioga pass side of HWY 120 without going all the way down lee vining canyon? (i couldn't find any last fall).

jareds wrote:I know it's in/near yosemite and this is a holiday weekend; are there good primitive/dispersed camp spots on the tioga pass side of HWY 120 without going all the way down lee vining canyon? (i couldn't find any last fall).

You can find tons of places to camp illegally inside the park, fairly safely. Any place you park for the day, which is hundreds of turnouts, you are free to leave your car for the night. You aren't allowed to sleep in your car and of course you are supposed to have a permit to sleep anywhere outside. All you have to do is toss your bag and pad in a pack, march a few hundred feet into the woods, and you're good. Don't bring any food or smellables with you and both the bears and rangers will leave you alone. The rangers are checking cars, trails, and areas near cars. They are not scouting the deep woods. Just go there after dark and get up early in the morning before sunrise.